Halyards are the lines used to raise and lower the sails of a sailing yacht. They are led from a point near the base of the mast, through a block at or near the top of the mast and down to the peak of the sail. When the sails are lowered and the vessel is at its mooring the halyards and other lines attached to the mast tend to slap against the mast. This constant action creates wear on the spreaders and other fittings on the mast. It also chafes the halyards. In addition, the resultant noise is disturbing to the occupants of nearby vessels.
To correct the wear and noise condition it is a common practice to tie the halyards to a shroud (a wire mast support on either side of the mast) with light line, ribbons or shock cord. While this method works, lines and ribbons require knots which are difficult to release in the dark or when wet. Shock cords and hook devices tend to have a short life. In any case, line ribbons and shock cords are usually removed from the shrouds while the vessel is underway and are never on hand when needed.
The state of the art is readily seen from representative U.S. patents. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,514 means for securing a halyard to a mast are shown. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,873 describes an L-shaped member attached to the mast for securing the halyards of sailboats in a fixed position, thereby allowing the winches used to raise the sails to be used for other purposes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,223 a flag clasp containing a clew for silencing a flagpole halyard in windy conditions is described. The clew encircles the inner halyard run and any lateral movement of the outside halyard, by reason of wind or the like, will result in the inside halyard's movement with the outside halyard rather than in opposite direction in which it contacts the flagpole creating a noise condition.